News Story

South Korean 'gaming curfew' for under 16s now in effect

If you're a gamer in South Korea under the age of 16 then you can forget playing online between midnight and 6am from now on as the dubbed 'Cinderella Law' comes into effect.

This means PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, as well as other online platforms, will block 'underage users' from multiplayer services. It's to fight 'growing games addiction'.

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family spearheaded the law as a way to combat what they see as videogames addiction.

The 6 hour block is off limits to anymore 15 years-old or younger. Critics have argued it violates the rights of children and that the government has failed to prove that playing video games is more harmful than TV, movies, listening to music or other home bound activities. Korean game studios call it a measure of "excessive prohibition".

Of course where there's a new rule there's almost always a new loophole to be exploited. Some younger gamers are simply using their parents’ accounts to bypass the 'gaming curfew'. Life finds a way.